Milo Yiannopoulos book deal defended by publisher amid backlash

Simon & Schuster is standing by its decision to publish a book by Breitbart editor and alt-right darling Milo Yiannopoulos.

Facing criticism over its acquisition of Yiannopoulos' book "Dangerous," the publisher defended its choice via Twitter on Friday, saying that the company doesn't condone hate speech, and noting that Yiannopoulos' views are his own, and not those of Simon & Schuster.

"We do not and never have condoned discrimination or hate speech in any form," the company said. "At Simon & Schuster we have always published works by a wide range of authors with greatly varying, and frequently controversial opinions, and appealing to many different audiences of readers."

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ORLANDO, FL - JUNE 15: Milo Yiannopoulos, a conservative columnist and internet personality, holds a press conference down the street from the Pulse Nightclub, June 15, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. Yiannopoulos was briefly banned from Twitter on Wednesday. The shooting at Pulse Nightclub, which killed 49 people and injured 53, is the worst mass-shooting event in American history. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Milo Yiannopoulos addresses the media during a news conference in New York City, NY, U.S. February 21, 2017. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

ORLANDO, FL - JUNE 15: Milo Yiannopoulos, a conservative columnist and internet personality, holds a press conference down the street from the Pulse Nightclub, June 15, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. Yiannopoulos was briefly banned from Twitter on Wednesday. The shooting at Pulse Nightclub, which killed 49 people and injured 53, is the worst mass-shooting event in American history. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Milo Yiannopoulos speaks to a group protesting against CUNY?s decision to allow Linda Sarsour, a liberal Palestinian-American political activist, to speak at this year?s commencement in New York, U.S., May 25, 2017. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

ORLANDO, FL - JUNE 15: Young people, some wearing Donald Trump attire, wait for Milo Yiannopoulos, a conservative columnist and internet personality, to arrive for a press conference down the street from the Pulse Nightclub, June 15, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. Yiannopoulos was briefly banned from Twitter on Wednesday. The shooting at Pulse Nightclub, which killed 49 people and injured 53, is the worst mass-shooting event in American history. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Australian senator David Leyonhjelm (L) and right-wing British provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos congratulate each others on their book release during a visit to Parliament House in Canberra on December 5, 2017.
Yiannopoulos blasted those who do not agree with him as 'petulant babies' after violent protests in Melbourne. The polarising former Breitbart editor is touring with his 'The Troll Academy' speaking show. Hundreds of protestors clashed with police and supporters of Yiannopoulos outside a supposedly secret venue in Melbourne on December 4.
/ AFP PHOTO / MARK GRAHAM (Photo credit should read MARK GRAHAM/AFP/Getty Images)

ORLANDO, FL - JUNE 15: Milo Yiannopoulos, a conservative columnist and internet personality, holds a press conference down the street from the Pulse Nightclub, June 15, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. Yiannopoulos was briefly banned from Twitter on Wednesday. The shooting at Pulse Nightclub, which killed 49 people and injured 53, is the worst mass-shooting event in American history. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

ORLANDO, FL - JUNE 15: Milo Yiannopoulos, a conservative columnist and internet personality, holds a press conference down the street from the Pulse Nightclub, June 15, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. Yiannopoulos was briefly banned from Twitter on Wednesday. The shooting at Pulse Nightclub, which killed 49 people and injured 53, is the worst mass-shooting event in American history. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Right-wing British provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos answers questions during a speech at Parliament House in Canberra on December 5, 2017.
Yiannopoulos blasted those who do not agree with him as 'petulant babies' after violent protests in Melbourne. The polarising former Breitbart editor is touring with his 'The Troll Academy' speaking show. Hundreds of protestors clashed with police and supporters of Yiannopoulos outside a supposedly secret venue in Melbourne on December 4.
/ AFP PHOTO / MARK GRAHAM (Photo credit should read MARK GRAHAM/AFP/Getty Images)

Milo Yiannopoulos addresses the media during a news conference in New York City, NY, U.S. February 21, 2017. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

The publisher continued,"While we are cognizant that many may disagree vehemently with the books we publish we note that the opinions expressed therein belong to our authors, and do not reflect either a corporate viewpoint or the views of our employees."

While the tweet did not mention Yiannopoulos by name, the tweet began, "Statement regarding recent acquisition by @threshold_books, another division of @simonschuster."

In a tweet published Thursday, director/producer Apatow wrote, "In these times we can not let hatemongers get rich off of their cruelty. Shame on @simonschuster!"

Likewise, Silverman registered her displeasure with the deal, tweeting, "The guy has freedom of speech but to fund him & give him a platform tells me a LOT about @simonschuster YUCK AND BOO AND GROSS."

Yiannopoulos has courted criticism for, among other things, encouraging his followers to send racist messages to "Ghostbusters" star Leslie Jones in July. That led to his ouster from Twitter, a ban that Yiannopoulos credited with his success.

"They said banning me from Twitter would finish me off. Just as I predicted, the opposite has happened," Yiannopoulos told The Hollywood Reporter, which broke the news of the deal. "Did it hurt Madonna being banned from MTV in the 1990s? Did all that negative press hurt Donald Trump's chances of winning the election?"